Childhood Lost

Children today are noticeably different from previous generations, and the proof is in the news coverage we see every day. This site shows you what’s happening in schools around the world. Children are increasingly disabled and chronically ill, and the education system has to accommodate them. Things we've long associated with autism, like sensory issues, repetitive behaviors, anxiety and lack of social skills, are now problems affecting mainstream students. Blame is predictably placed on bad parenting (otherwise known as trauma from home).

Addressing mental health needs is as important as academics for modern educators. This is an unrecognized disaster. The stories here are about children who can’t learn or behave like children have always been expected to. What childhood has become is a chilling portent for the future of mankind.

Anne Dachel, Media editor, Age of Autism

(John Dachel, Tech. assist.)

"What will happen in another 4 years? How can we go on like this? This is a national (and international) problem of monumental proportions. We have an entire new class of children who cannot be accommodated by the system: many are manifestly neurologically impaired. Meanwhile, the government and the medical profession sleep on regardless."

John Stone,

UK media editor, Age of Autism

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"The generation of American children born after 1990 are arguably the sickest generation in the history of our country."

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

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Sumter, SC: Therapy puppy for SPED classroom; impacts students on the autism spectrum

Feb 4, 2019, Sumter (SC) Item: New therapy puppy at Bates Middle School helps students with autism come out of their shells https://theitem.com/stories/new-therapy-puppy-at-bates-middle-school-helps-students-with-autism-come-out-of-their-shells,322179Bates Middle School, like any other public school, keeps safety a top priority by requiring all staff members to wear ID badges - whether that staff member has two or four legs makes no difference.
Kelly Snell has been bringing Bantam, a 12-week-old Miniature Schnauzer, to her special education classroom every day for the past couple weeks. Bantam may still be a therapy dog-in-training, but he has already made a marked impact on her 11 students, many of whom are on the autism spectrum. …
"We had one instance where a child was sent to the principal's office, and the child came in very agitated and very angry. And he walked over to Bantam and started talking to him and interacting with him, and he completely forgot why he was there. And he started talking to Dr. Hunter about his dogs. So that gave them something in common to talk about. He was over his agitation," Snell said. "And it was just someone in school, not in my class."…